Garden Of Eden
by Salina M L
Summary: [AlWin] A memory tells of a time and a place when three separate worlds were as one. Where a promise was made before the split was created and a rift was formed. [Complete]
1. Part 1: The Garden

_**Garden of Eden**_

_**By Salina M L**_

Originally, I had planned for this to be an _extremely_ long one-shot, but then I decided to split it into three parts so it's easier on the eyes and on the mind. The other parts are all ready to go, but I'll post them on the following days.

I've been a secret AlWin lover since the start, but to be honest, I never thought that I would actually play on that feeling and write anything for them.

This is an AUish piece because the conclusion to the series has been altered right before the movie, and it will contain spoilers up to that point. Lastly, the movie ages are used here.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. All of the characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa. The only thing in this story that I own is the garden and the plot itself.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Garden of Eden**

_"What's a soul anyway? Without the myth, it's just a spark of light."_

- Edward Elric

_**The Heavens describe the Garden as a peaceful paradise. **_

_**The Hells describe the Garden as a baneful prison. **_

_**In this place… **_

_**Which is it?**_

* * *

**Part 1: The Garden**

"Al, are you awake?"

Almond eyes peeled open to gaze serenely at the girl in the entryway. "… Winry…"

He had been dreaming. It was a dream he hadn't seen for awhile now; plunging him back into the memories of the events that had served to originally bring him to this forsaken place. Yet when he would wake up, the memories would vanish once more for reasons he didn't understand.

"Oh…" She quickly made her way over to him, the quiet clicking of her heels echoing in the large space. "You were still sleeping? Sorry, I shouldn't have woken you…"

He looked at her for a moment, surprise clearly evident in his eyes, before he blinked slowly and pulled himself up from his haphazard position on the floor so he could sit fully on his bold red overcoat, make that formally his brother's overcoat. "No. Not really, anyway. Sleep is the only thing I can do by myself down here…"

It was the decision of the new government that took over after the fall of Fuhrer Bradley; the group that took control of the state and away from the military which had been deemed corrupt. In order to do so, they needed to go through and audit every single file the military kept on record, down to the bare nook and cranny. It was all to pick up where the military left off. Which of course meant sorting through every last sheet of paper in the military's top secret folders…

Anyone could imagine the priceless expressions on their faces when all of the ludicrous junk of what had been going on behind the military's back was brought to light. It was an almost comical sequence of events really; the very person who was charged with maintaining order throughout the state was more shifty than a person with a link to the mafia.

However, that also meant what the military tried to cover-up was revealed. Any illegal act had been properly coded and categorized which also included, anyone could guess, the countless attempts of human transmutation. Of course, people such as Mustang and the late Brigadier General, Basque Gran, had conveniently kept that tidbit of information top secret. The same went for Fuhrer Bradley and his secretary, Juliet Douglas, whose true identities were still to remain anonymous.

Now, keeping with the old tradition of the military, the penalty for attempted human transmutation was execution. However, given the circumstances with the new government, that was deemed barbaric, so a different form of punishment was instilled. Though for what reason did they go to such great lengths, only they could be certain. After all, anyone who had attempted the forbidden art or had been affiliated with it was either dead or had disappeared into thin air… not that anyone would believe that.

That is, all but one. From that day forward, Alphonse Elric's home was the almost long-forgotten dungeons far below the sewers that ran underneath the Central Military Headquarters, due to the close proximity they were to the Underground City. One could only imagine the looks on the executive's faces when they stumbled upon _that _place.

Naturally, when the decision of imprisonment came about, many of his friends from home and, according to Winry, the ones he had met on his journey, had told him to run away from the state. The opportunity was there, and they even offered to lend him a helping hand in the escape, but Al politely declined. For him, no matter how bad things could get, Amestris was still his home and he loved it. So leaving was simply not an option.

"Have you… gotten used to living down here?" Winry asked as she slowly sat down on the cold dungeon grounds in front of him. She placed the dimly lit lantern by her side, and stared at him with sad eyes.

He shrugged slowly. "Hmm… how long has it been?" He asked.

"Almost a month now."

The dungeon was a rather large place, the least Mustang could do for being apart of the dilemma in the first place. He told the State Council that Al was still thirteen years old, still a young teenager, and that it would be heartless to keep him in a small cell isolated from the rest of the world entirely. He always did have the uncanny ability to persuade others, and it worked just the same with the representatives… or perhaps it was because of his alchemic glove being conveniently present at the time. Nevertheless, they had granted this request, and one last wish; Al could choose only one person, and one person only to visit him periodically in the dungeons. Although, they still put up some fancy excuse saying that it was 'dangerous' to have him in contact with too many people.

For him, given the current circumstances, the choice was obvious. He chose Winry.

He didn't know exactly how the dungeons worked. There was a dumbwaiter in the far corner of the room that brought him his daily nourishments, and one small window high up in the ceiling that, for some strange reason, only admitted moonlight and nothing else. Other than that, there was not much in the way of illumination, other than a small fixture at the entrance to the space. Then of course when Winry came down to visit him, she always brought a lantern down into the dungeons with her to navigate through the sealed corridors. Whenever he saw the light, it was a sign that she was coming to visit him, and immediately brightened his day.

The sad thing was, it literally did so as well.

"I guess I just got used to it." He replied to her earlier question. "It's kind of fulfilling, too. Now I can read books and indulge myself in hobbies all day long without anybody interrupting." Even in the gloomiest of situations, he still managed a light-hearted chuckle.

Winry recognized the hint of sarcasm and laughed uneasily. "Haha, is that so…?" She then turned to the side and stared at the strange plants that were sprouting in the dungeon. "It amazes me how they can grow here… with no light or water."

He gave her a cheeky, little grin. "All they need are my natural ability for nurturing, Winry!"

She rolled her eyes. "Right, right. Here, I brought some rice for you." She was beginning to wonder if Elrics in general had some sort of fetish with rice.

The small assortment of books Winry had managed to bring down with her were a few her Grandmother had let her take and the charred remains of a few alchemy books she had managed to salvage from the ruins of the Elric home. The ones she had found were a bit crispy, but still legible, and Al was ecstatic. Even if they were only on the basics of alchemy, he still couldn't get sick of them. Then after reading for awhile, he would off-handily mention something about his brother, so she brought everything she had managed to save in the hopes that it would help restore his lost memory.

One day however, he was so bored, he picked up one of the gardening books Winry had brought down with her, which happened to have belonged to Pinako, and a somewhat amusing idea formed in Al's head. Thus was born his rather peculiar request for Winry to bring him a few bags of soil, seeds and plant bulbs. Using his alchemy and the supplies, while tweaking it so that it photosynthesized with the moonlight, he filled the, otherwise desolate dungeon, with unique plant life.

When Winry had questioned him about why he had taken up gardening, he simply replied that it reminded him of her. Of course, he had received a good punch in the shoulder for that unorthodox comment. He chuckled and told her that it reminded him of the time when they were little, when they would plant bulbs in the beginning of the Spring together. It was true, even when she was simply picking flowers, Al would be the first in line to help her gather them, even before Nelly. It got to the point when their gardens actually took up the entire Rockbell backyard and Pinako didn't have to worry about them being properly cared for.

She had giggled at the memory. Ed would always chuff while scuffing his foot, saying that it was boring and that Al should quit acting like a girl. Which promptly resulted in Ed getting a mouthful of soil. Yet she felt elated at the mere thought that Al held onto that distant memory, but the feeling had quickly clouded over when she remembered that it would be easy for him to recall those memories. So many years had passed since then, but to him the memories would still be fresh…

Nonetheless, she came here everyday, and he really appreciated her company.

After eating in silence for awhile, Al spoke in a uncharacteristically quiet voice. "Winry, aren't you still living in Rush Valley with Dominic and Paninya? So you can get an apprenticeship?"

Winry laughed. "I finished that a long time ago. Passed with flying colours might I add. " She pointed to herself proudly. "Now I'm back in Resembool with Grandma and Den." Well, that wasn't exactly true. Since Al's imprisonment, she had begun living with Gracia and Elysia at the Hughes residence so she could be closer to where he was being held. At first, she had planned to stay in a hotel, but Gracia wouldn't hear of it, and Elysia was equally as enthusiastic.

Her smile then died, and her face turned serious. "Is there something wrong, Al? Why the sudden change of heart?"

He didn't turn to look at her, which was odd unto itself, but she saw his eyes darken. "Winry, it's just…"

She tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously. "What is it?"

"Well… you know… with the new government… you don't want to get on their bad side. They could… they definitely don't approve of you coming to see me…"

There, he said it. He knew he was asking too much from Winry when he asked her to become his only visitor during his life imprisonment. It came with a horrible cost, too. Although she didn't say anything, Al knew that the members of the State Government were talking behind Winry's back for coming to see him everyday. A sympathizer of one who not only broke the law, but was a sinner, was not kindly looked upon.

She blinked a few times before breaking into a cute smile that always made his insides warm. "If you're that worried, maybe I should live here then?"

"… Winry, that's not funny."

She rubbed the back of her head a bit sheepishly. "I know, sorry. Okay, okay, I'll go. I'll admit, though…" She smirked a bit. "Dominic wasn't exactly easy on me, and Granny was no different. It's actually kinda nice to get away from it for a little while."

They both shared a good laugh.

She suddenly reached forward and, ever so gently, placed her cool palm on his cheek. His eyes widened and he felt his cheek begin to warm. Misinterpreting his meaning, she quickly recoiled. "Sorry… it's just that… you left so quickly the last time I saw you that I never got the chance. It's been so long…"

He just sat there, blinking stupidly for a moment until her words finally registered and he quickly flailed his arms. "N-no, that's okay! Really!" He squeaked, nervously tugging on his black shirt. After another moment of a surprisingly comfortable silence, he spoke up again, once again in a hushed tone. "Hey, Winry?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you do me a favour…?" He asked timidly, turning around to rummage through something she couldn't quite see from her angle.

"Sure, Al. What is it?" She asked, her curiosity once again peaked.

When he turned around, he had a small bundle of flowers in his arms. "Could you go to Dublith and… put these on my Sensei's grave in my stead?"

She almost looked offended. "Al! Don't say it like it's a chore. Of course I will!" She chimed as she carefully took the bunch of daffodils, lavenders and other assorted flowers.

"Thanks, Winry… for everything." He added with a hint of pride.

She adjusted her grip on the bouquet so it rested against her chest before smiling at him. "No problem. Goodnight, Al." She stood, and picked up the lantern.

"Goodnight, Winry." He said, unmoving from his sitting position. The two always ended the meeting like so, and Al never let his eyes move away from the light that was slowly drifting away from him.

Inside, he was slowly tearing himself apart. He knew what he had just said to Winry was for her own good… boy, did that sound familiar. Even though she held a prestigious position as a friend to the Hughes family, who were friends with many of the military personnel he had met, and he was certain that they would protect her if anything did arise. However, no one can ever be too careful, and she could be in danger if she continued her visits regularly.

However, in truth, he didn't want to see her go. He wished that days like this would never end.

Al sighed, and went back to sleep.

* * *

**"ALLLLPHONSEEEEE!"**

From the sealed corridors, a small light and a loud voice rang out that he could've sworn shook the surrounding walls. "You're so loud sometimes, Winry!" He replied in an equally loud voice, which almost startled himself. He immediately regretted it though and gritted his teeth, for he knew what was coming.

_CRACK!_

Clutching his head, he peered up. Sure enough, there she was, in all of her menacing glory with her wrench in hand. "Idiot! Alphonse! I'm soooo pissed!"

He grinned sheepishly up at her.

Honestly, some things would never change.

He struggled to get back up from the ground, still feeling a little dizzy due to the smack from her wrench that had knocked him back a good few yards. "Please, Winry. Not too loud. It might affect the plants…"

She didn't seem to be listening. "Arrrgggh, damn it! Those prim, jackasses need to die a long, _slow _death!"

Ever since he was imprisoned, the days started to get more desolate than ever. He could never tell if it was night or day unless the moon shone through the window, and unless he asked Winry he couldn't even tell what time it was and how many days had passed since 'that day', or be aware of events happening in the outside world.

Al sighed. "What is it this time?" He finally asked.

Immediately she started flailing her arms about. "NOW they're questioning how Mustang runs his sector, and even if Riza-sama is doing her job right! I actually accepted a part-time job in helping around the office, like sorting files and whatnot so I could help out Gracia-san financially. THEN they accuse ME of being lazy! Those bastards! I'd _love _to see them try do what I do! Most of them are already so old anyway. They should just go home and live the rest of their short remaining lives out during nap time!"

Al's eyes were bulging by this point. She was _really_ pissed off, but he brushed it off knowing it, believe it or not, was just like any other day.

The tasks in the day and a life of Alphonse Elric were simple, really. Wake up, maybe read a bit, eat a little, and tend to his garden. However, unfortunately for him, he found himself handling another task; listening to Winry's rants. He counted that it had been about a year since the new government first took office and began 'keeping up to date with the military's actions,' which was more like 'destroying everything within a ten mile radius.'

Of course, being close to Mustang and the others in the office, Winry had to deal with something very troublesome called _politics_, whether she liked it or not- which she certainly didn't… obviously.

From what she had been telling him, although the remaining officials, such as General Hakuro, were actually handling the job well, the relationships between the military and the government were just not meant to be. With Winry in the room during the times when they carelessly went through the folders she had just neatly filed away, she was really beginning to hate those old men who had nothing to contribute, other than barking orders. She once came down to the dungeons slightly drunk, but he had gotten sad at the sight of her being reduced to that because of those men. He actually cursed them under his breath, and she had been so shocked that she never even looked at another bottle of alcohol. So instead, she came down and either went on a long rant, and (often) smacked him with her wrench. However, over time he grew to learn that she never hit him as hard as she probably could, and he was thankful for the thick skull he was given to withstand it.

It must run in his family, he presumed.

"Don't worry about it, Winry!" He gave her a bright smile, attempting to cheer her up. Then a slightly impish thought sprung to mind. "Maybe one day the Colonel will get fed up and he'll set them ablaze. That will send them running!"

"… uuugggh… bastards…" She muttered, dropping down on her knees in front of him.

And thus the rants continued.

Still, speaking with Winry was the only way Al could get information on the outside world. Sometimes, he would teach her a few tips and give advice on her life. The latter of which was often turned down, but it really made him happy when she thanked him for it. It was his way of still feeling useful.

"But, sheesh…" She ceased her warring attitude and casually glanced around at the plants that surrounded her. "There's so many now…" She reached forward and gently let her finger run across the soft, velvety surface of a daisy. The face on the flower almost seemed to be smiling.

He instantly beamed. "I planted many seeds of fruits and vegetables too. They should be blooming into flowers soon as well!"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Already? Isn't it a bit too early?"

He looked surprised. "Huh, really? It's Spring so… they should be fine. It's been only half a year, right?"

Al could've sworn Winry's figure had suddenly frozen over. "Win… ry?" He began cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

She blinked and shook her head vigorously. "Yeah, of course, Al. I was just thinking about something I need to do tomorrow…"

He continued to stare at her for a moment longer until, what was usually a comfortable silence, grew to be awkward. He cleared his throat, deciding to indulge on another subject. "Oh yeah, so how is everyone doing?"

"Hmm?" She raised her brow at him.

"You know, like Auntie Pinako, Colonel Mustang, and Hawkeye-san. How about Rose and her son? How is his speech coming along? He was just starting to form sentences the last I heard."

"…" She didn't reply.

Al had a sinking feeling coming inside of him. "… don't tell me they-"

She chuckled and turned, flashing him a reassuring smile. "What's with the long face, Al? Don't worry, everyone's fine. Actually…" A fond little smile crossed her features. "Rose met someone awhile back, someone who didn't mind the fact that she already had a child. When she told me, I could hardly contain myself."

Al's face had already lit up. "She did? That's great! Hey, give her my best, would you?"

She nodded. "Of course, and…" She looked around before she leaned in towards him, and Al couldn't help but chuckle at the way she pretended that everything was normal. It made him feel elated. "This is something I suspect, but I should tell you first that Mustang gave up his position as a Colonel."

Al's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yup, then he took up a simple title as an officer and went up North. I don't know all the details, really. However, he returned recently, and I think that he and Riza-sama have _finally_ gotten together. In secret of course…"

At the moment, he was just enjoying the way her sparkling blue eyes would light up as she went on about the lives their friends currently led. "Well, I'm glad everyone is okay. You had me worried there for a second, Winry!"

She shook her head. "You're such a worrywart…" She suddenly turned serious as she seemed to remember something. "I went to visit your teacher's grave…" She started out. "And I gave her your flowers and prayed in your stead…"

He gave her a small, but grateful smile. "Thanks, Winry. That means a lot…"

They were silent for a moment.

"And… I saw Wrath there…"

Immediately his head shot up in her direction. "Wrath?" He questioned again to be sure.

She nodded. "Yup. He was in pretty rough shape, so I brought him back to Resembool with me on one of my trips home and repaired his automail for him, but he left again soon after."

"You-" A hostile frown had now fully set across his features. "You brought him home with you?" He couldn't even believe what he was hearing. "Winry! He's dangerous! What if he'd decided to hurt you or Auntie Pinako?!"

"Al…" She rubbed her temples in exasperation. "The possibility DID cross my mind, but then I thought about it… he really would have no reason to. He's alone now. Anyone who had once influenced him is gone… right?" All he could do was shrug weakly and she felt a tug in her chest. "Sorry…" She bowed her head, livid with herself for putting him on the spot like that.

He didn't even waste a second. "Hey, hey! It's okay, Winry, really!" He pulled himself up and crouched down in front of her. "It's not your fault. Maybe one day I'll be able to remember…" He reached forward and rested his gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…" Her voice quivered slightly as she lifted her head back up.

Her eyes shifted to something behind him and he looked as well. She was looking at the flowers again, seemingly mesmerized by their appearance. Turning back around he went to snap her out of it, but paused. Her bright sapphire eyes were curious while her eyebrows were tilted ever so slightly, giving off a noble, carefree air about her. The plants which grew in the morbid dungeon seemed to emit a light of their own and reflected off of her irises, casting an ethereal glow, and made her already pale skin look as if it was carved out of ivory.

Without even realizing it, as if to satisfy the reason for his face being suspiciously warm, he had slowly pulled off the glove of his right hand and had gently cupped it over her cheek. As if she had been stung by his touch, she immediately snapped her attention back to him, looking quite befuddled, to say the least.

He blushed scarlet and quickly drew back. "S-sorry…" He stuttered.

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it." She raised an eyebrow at his quirky behaviour. "What's with you?" She added in amusement.

"Your skin…" He stated simply, his eyes never leaving his right hand. "It's just as soft as it was when you were a little girl…"

She blushed a little in return. "Um… thanks?" She suddenly glanced behind her. "Ah, I should be going now."

He felt his spirits dampen immediately. "So soon?" She nodded regretfully, she seemed a bit anxious. "… okay."

"Goodnight, Al." She approached him and gave him a small comforting hug. On her way out, she turned back to him, waving her free hand in farewell before disappearing across the sealed corridors.

"Goodnight, Winry."

The conversation they shared today was just like all the other conversations they had since she started visiting him. So why did she freeze up like that? Did he say something wrong? Maybe… asking about everyone dug up some touchy memories he couldn't recall about his brother? He didn't question Winry about it though, not that he really wanted to. They both knew that topic was taboo.

If one day he ever was released, he would find a way to bring his brother home so they could all be together again. Just like the good old days.

_That was the first rift._

* * *

Hmm, parting is always such sweet sorrow… 

I hope you guys are enjoying this so far.

_**Please Review!**_


	2. Part 2: Intermezzo

**Part 2: Intermezzo**

A few months passed until Winry finally returned.

"What's this?" She asked, startled as she gazed around.

The dungeon was now full of flowers.

Strangely, the flowers Al had grown never seemed to wither. He had figured it was thanks to his alchemy in tampering with the properties of the plants… and perhaps the magic of the moonlight.

She blinked a few times. "It's almost like… a garden." The few plants Al had started with seemed to have multiplied since the last time she'd come down here. However, it wasn't just the flowers which coloured the otherwise pitch black room, now he had a few shrubs growing at the arch of each row.

He smiled up at her. "Like it? It's the juniper bushes, remember?" She raised a brow at him in question. "Come on, I know you do…" He grinned cheerfully up at her in a fashion that brought a certain sense of deja'vu. "They lined the perimeter of the first garden we planted when we were little. I was only about four and you were five." The corner of his lip twitched sheepishly. "Though… it wasn't very successful. Most of them didn't even sprout because all we thought we had to do was jam the seeds into the ground."

"Except for the sunflowers…" She added with a fond smile. The memory now situated in her mind as if it had never left.

He nodded. "Yeah, well… they don't need that much attention." He stated, closing the book he had been engrossed in before she arrived as the same fleeting memory passed through both of their minds; the sunflowers dancing in the wind in tune with three sunny-headed children let loose across the countryside.

Al blinked and looked up at her, noticing for the first time that she had been looking at him with a distant, yet concerned expression. "What's wrong?" He asked, the same concern laced within his voice.

Her eyes widened slightly in shock before she shook her head vigorously. "Nothing at all." She replied quickly.

He looked at her for a moment longer before he shifted his gaze from her eyes. "Hey, Winry? What's that you're holding?" He asked, noticing for the first time that she had brought something with her. Of all the times she had come down here, she had never brought luggage with her.

"Oh…" Her eyes drifted momentarily to the bag slung across her shoulder. "It's for your medical check-up… Gracia-san was worried about you being down here in the cold and Riza-sama also thought it was a good idea."

"A medical check-up?" Al asked, startled. "I look healthy, don't I?" He waved his hands in a sweeping arc in front of him as if to prove his point.

Winry furrowed her eyebrows, causing him to instantly drop his guard. "But you're living in… well, here. The stuff they give you for food from the dumbwaiter is all canned, and the only meat or vegetables you're eating are the ones that I bring you. We're all worried about you. You've become taller and more like an adult, so since I'm the only one who can come down here and because I've taken up some aspect of the medical profession. It seems logical for me to check up on your health, as well as your growth progress, and make sure you won't suffer from malnutrition." As Winry explained, she pulled out the contents of her bag.

"I didn't know you had an interest in the medical field…" He stated off-handily.

She chuckled. "What do you think we automail mechanics have to deal with, Al?" She asked as she sorted through the contents, placing them in order. "The actual construction of automail is all technological, but when it comes to connecting it, it's all biological. When some patients come in with a severed ligament, it's never even, so we have to even out the edges by sawing through the bone and cartilage…" She saw Al's cheeks bulge from visible bile, so she giggled and decided to lighten the subject. "Then of course we need to know the proper dosage of medicine for the patient during the healing process…" She trailed off with a twinkle in her eye, and Al couldn't help but smile as she worked.

A few small pieces of strange machinery and many different varieties of medical tools and equipment were laid down in front of her, all of which he didn't recognize. She then ordered him to lie down on his back, and as he followed her command she suddenly looked as if she remembered something.

"How long has it been? Since you were imprisoned." She asked.

"Hm?" Al thought for a moment, calculating the answer to her question. "Umm… about a year or so?"

"Ah, right." She said flatly before she returned her attention back to her medical tools.

He chuckled. "Winry, please don't tell me you've become senile already!"

_CLONK!_

She placed her wrench neatly back into her pocket in one fluid motion. He was rather surprised that she didn't blow on it like the barrel of a gun. "Idiot! I'm still young, damn it! It's just been so busy these days, I've lost my sense of time."

All Al could think of at the moment was feeling less woozy. "Owww…"

She turned her head stubbornly in the other direction. "I may not look like it, Alphonse, but I'm perfectly capable of running these tests on my own…" She looked over at him from the corner of her eye as he _slowly_ sat back up. "Alright, now start by removing your shirt."

She began handling her tools with professional ease as she started her check-up. The inspection lasted minutes, then dozens of minutes, then eventually rolled into hours.

"Umm, Winry?" He asked as she stuck a thermometer in his mouth.

"What?" She asked as she checked the timer.

"Do you have to be so… um, thorough?" He mumbled through the obstruction.

"Yup." She stated simply, slowly extracting the thermometer.

She had listened and recorded his pulse rate, poked his skin with some sort of glass looking stick and had essentially massaged his entire body asking him if any parts she touched hurt. It was awkward, however, if the truth be told, Al didn't mind the 'check-up' she gave him, and found it curious every time his face would begin to warm. He might have even enjoyed it if she didn't look so serious throughout the procedure. Instead, he was awed at how grown up she acted despite her youthful appearance. He was about to ask another question until he saw her hands going for the machinery. She then took a needle, gauze, and a tube. She was going to take some blood.

He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Awww, that too?"

"Of course. You don't want to discover you're sick when it's already too late. This is for your own good!" With that, she stuck the sharp needle into one of the veins in his arm and extracted some blood. The red liquid made its way through the tubes and into the small contraption. It seemed the purpose of the machines were to record various data, since Winry observed the output screens as she scribbled a few things into her notebook with a pen while all he could do was stare at the mechanism, clearly befuddled. A few minutes later she shut it off and took the needle out, wiping his wound clean before placing a gauze over it.

After he finished buttoning up his shirt, she turned to him, a pair of tweezers in hand. "I'm going to need some of your cells too."

"Cells?" No sooner had he let the word slip, she had enclosed the tips around a thread of his hair.

A guard several floors above paused at an ear-piercing scream that seemed to be reverberating from the walls. After a moment, he shrugged and continued on with his rounds.

"Good grief, Al." Winry shook her head in exasperation. "It's just a teeny weenie piece of hair. You shouldn't act like such a drama queen."

"I am _not_ a drama queen!" He whined while rubbing his 'sore' scalp.

She shook rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the sandy, blonde strand for a second. "That's odd…" She stated quietly.

"What is?" He paused momentarily.

"Your hair is what…" She continued, sealing the lock inside of a plastic bag. "It used to grow so quickly, a trait that seems to run among _all_ Elrics. Now your hair has hardly grown at all…"

He looked at her for a moment before reaching behind to tug on his ponytail. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I've noticed that myself."

She nodded and carefully tucked away the small plastic folder, storing it away into her medical bag. Cleaning her equipment, she put away the rest of the medical tools into her bag and, with a little help from Al, she was done much sooner.

The silence that settled over them was almost deafening, much different from usual, so Winry decided to _really_ change the subject.

"Wrath came back recently…" She started quietly.

He paused momentarily, his hand enclosed around an unused syringe before he stuffed it into her bag. "Is that so…"

Winry shifted slightly. "Actually… he's right outside…"

Another pause on Al's behalf. "He's here in Central with you?" Confusion as well as a bit of hostility worked its way into his voice.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing that his eyes were narrowed in concentration, she blew a breath of air upwards, ruffling her bangs. "Al, I've told you before, you've got nothing to worry about." She tried to reason. "Believe me, I remember what a hostile, little brat he used to be, but…" She furrowed her eyebrows in sadness. "You said it yourself. He was being used by the other homunculi and their master, but now they're all gone."

"…"

She sighed again. "Nevertheless, even though he's artificial, he still has the mind of a child and now he's all alone in the world…" She felt her stomach twist at the familiar situation, in more places than one. "And… I took him in because he came back… he came back to Resembool and to my front door… well, more like my window…" She tilted her head to the side when she heard the zipper of her bag as Al closed it up tight before pivoting around to sit across from her in his original position, his lifelong stance.

"Well…" She looked up to meet his gaze. He was smiling slightly. "If keeping him around makes you happy, then… there's not much more I can say other than, Winry…" His eyes narrowed momentarily. "Be careful."

The sincerity and emotion he sent with just those simple words almost threw her back with enough force to break bones, but nevertheless, she smiled cheerfully back at him. "Don't worry, Al." She grinned slightly. "I can take care of myself."

He smiled at her in return, but before he could totally let his guard down, she decided to throw a different type of wrench at him. A monkey wrench that is, into his short-lived feeling of relief.

"I was thinking of introducing him to Elysia."

Al's jaw hit the ground. "Elysia?! Oh, come on, Winry!" He whined. "That will cause all sorts of problems! You know you can't do that! Besides, he's not-"

Winry waved her arms before his rant could escalate to extreme levels. "I was only kidding, Al." She giggled genuinely. "It was just a passing thought I had one day; about him just meeting another child and getting that small sense of having a childhood. Plus…" Her brows scrunched up in amusement. "It's kind of awkward having to stash him away in my closet at the Hughes' place, but I won't let him sleep outside…" Al quirked an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Don't worry though, I won't." She winked at him in reassurance.

After that, there wasn't much else to converse about that day, and after she realized that she had everything packed up, she was fresh out of topics. So they decided to call the night early for once.

"Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight, Winry."

_The rift widened. A gap could be seen._

* * *

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…" He started while sorting his hand of cards into suits. In order to make the most of the time, they had decided to engross themselves in a game of poker. Though it took awhile to teach Al how to play, seeing is how the time when he had actually learned had been wiped from his memory. "What were the results?" 

"Results…" She muttered as if it had no meaning while she absent-mindedly shuffled her pile of rock filings. She had forgotten to bring something they could use to gamble with, so they improvised by using the little stones in Al's garden as poker chips. "… of what?" She asked as nonchalantly as before.

He rolled his eyes. "The medical check-up! Winry, are you sure you haven't gone senile?"

"… yeah… I'm sure."

Al was bracing himself, but much to his surprise, the blow never came. Lowering the arms that shielded his face, he stared at Winry quizzically.

Winry finally looked up to meet his gaze, and upon noticing the anxious look in his eyes, she quickly answered. "There was nothing wrong with you." She sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "_You're _the one who has to open, Al."

"Oh… right." He reached over and picked up a few rock chips. "I'll open with five, and hey…" He studied the look on her face closely. "What's with that? Shouldn't you be happier?"

She smiled weakly. "Of course I am. It means you're going to live a long life… I'll see your five and raise you seven more." She quickly tossed the pebbles into their centre 'pot,' which was really just the small space in the middle of where they were sitting.

At around this time, Winry had stopped taking advice from Al. It seemed that she was getting more confident with herself and her skills. In a way, Al was sad, but at the same time was happy for her. Instead, their talks drifted towards him and the garden he grew, which blossomed flowers all year long.

Al looked on as she reached down for the spoon resting inside of a bowl of rice she had balancing on her lap, and slowly brought a spoonful up to her mouth. Before she had come to visit him that day, she'd made them each a bowl at the Hughes' home. "You know, Winry. You don't have to eat here with me."

She stopped and placed down her bowl onto the concrete floor. She smiled again, this time genuinely. "I figured you'd be lonely. Aren't you?"

"O-of course I am!" He blushed and immediately dove into the rice, trying to hide his embarrassment.

She shook her head slowly, though her smile was still set in place. "So… are you folding or what?"

"Ah… sorry, Winry." Slightly flustered, he jarred forward and threw a couple more chips in. "Two more and I call."

She grinned. "Full house; tens over queens." She laid them in front of her and proudly crossed her arms over her chest. "Read 'em and weep-"

"Straight flush."

The grin fell from her face almost comically. "What?"

He shrugged innocently. "See for yourself." He stated as he laid his own hand in front. He looked on in amusement as Winry's eyes traced the perfectly lined up set of hearts, ranging from two to six. He found it even more amusing the way her eyes would narrow a sliver with every card she saw.

"I don't think that's right…" She pouted and rolled her head back, mentally sorting through the few hands that could actually beat a full house.

He chucked as he pulled the substantial amount of rock chips into his own hoard. "Wanna rematch?" He offered.

Her head shot back down, her eyes instantly lighting up. "You bet!" She then grabbed the deck of cards, and ended up boxing them. He watched in amusement as she grumbled to herself as she sorted out the cards. Finally, after a minute, things were back in order and she began to shuffle them.

In the end, she was victorious, and as she gleefully counted her chips, Al could only smile at the glimmer in her eyes, unmindful to his own hand which could have easily beaten her three of a kind.

Unfortunately, the time came too soon for her to leave once more.

"Goodnight, Al."

He watched her retreating form for as long as he could. "Goodnight, Winry."

_The rip in the rift widened._

* * *

There was a period when she didn't come for some time. 

But when she did, Al was delighted. "Hey, Winry!" He waved at her vigorously. "It's been a while…"

She paused momentarily before she came up to him. "Sorry, Al. I've been really busy lately."

It had been awhile indeed. He missed seeing the light from the lantern that came from the sealed corridors, and the presence of his precious blonde-haired friend who carried the small lit devise.

"It's been about two weeks. What happened?"

She nodded slowly. "… ah, yeah. There was an emergency, and we all had to go to Lior." She flashed another one of her depressed looks before it faded into her normal expression. She sat down next to him, looking a little tired. She carried a blanket with her, and wrapped it around her entire body as she leaned her head over his shoulders.

"Lior, huh? How was Rose? She's like, what? 20, 21 years old now?"

"… yeah. She's really doing well now."

He nodded happily. "Oh yeah, by the way, how are things going in the office?"

"Hm?"

"You know, those guys who used to peeve you off to no end. Did you finally strangle one of them to death?" He grinned.

"… heh. Well, two or three of them are gone now by natural causes, but most of them are still alive and kicking." She stated monotonously. Quietly, she eased herself down onto the icy cement in front of him.

"… I like this place…" She said suddenly.

"Hm?" He tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"It's like… time has stopped…" She trailed off.

A pause.

"… I don't want to go back up." She admitted in a small voice.

Al leaned his head towards Winry, who continued to stare blankly at the ceiling window as if she was in a trance. "Did something happen?" He asked.

She didn't seem to hear him. "… no Winter, no Summer… an always Spring garden."

He shrugged. "Well… it is underground."

She leaned forward in return and, before he could even blink, she fell into his chest, clutching desperately to his shirt. She was crying a little, a tiny crystalline tear could be seen dripping down her pale cheek.

"Al, I…"

She barely choked out her words as she cried softly in his chest, while Al held her close. He didn't ask what was wrong. He had a good idea.

"Every time… I come here… it… it reminds me of back then…" Her muffled voice came from his chest. "I'm sorry…"

He rested his cheek against the crown of her head, gliding his hand over her back in slow, comforting caresses. It must have been hard for her. She was dealing with the pain of losing so many loved ones in her life… all alone. And the one person she did have left couldn't even be there whenever she needed them.

He would hold her for as long as she wanted, but eventually she pulled herself partially out of his arms.

He didn't miss her flinch under his gaze. She hastily stood up, and he was about to say something, but she beat him to the punch. "… sorry, Al. I guess I'm just not feeling well."

His senses were telling him that there was more than what met the eye; something he didn't quite understand, but he decided he would let her be the one to tell him what was bothering her when she was ready, instead of prying them out of her. He didn't want to be the one to rub salt in old wounds. "I understand… get well soon then…"

She nodded, giving him a small, serene smile. "Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight, Winry."

_The rip steadily widened._

* * *

"Winry, you're here a lot nowadays." He stated happily. 

After that day, she seemed to stay in the gardens for longer periods of time. She looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "What, Al? You don't want me here?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no! It's just… I'm worried, you know? I mean… the council…"

She laughed uneasily. "Don't worry about it, Al. They don't talk about that nowadays."

His eyes widened. "They don't?" When had that changed?

A wicked little smirk tugged on her mouth. "_Welllll_, it probably started when Riza-sama decided she'd had enough of them and finally whipped out her gun…" She chuckled. "She didn't actually shoot any of them, but they sure as hell couldn't get outta there fast enough! Besides, even if they did have something to say…" She reached into her pocket and hoisted her wrench up in the air, and he couldn't help but flinch slightly. "Then they'd have to answer to this!"

"Ahhh…" Understanding slowly dawned on him. He shuddered. Women were scary at times. Winry was definitely picking up _way_ to many traits from Auntie Pinako and Hawkeye-san.

Their topics of conversation slowly drifted towards their friends and acquaintances.

"Everyone's still doing well." Winry stated, placing the tip of her finger on her chin, trying to remember what _everyone_ was doing now. "Working hard in general, really."

He nodded. "Ah, that's good. How are Rose and the people of Lior doing with the reconstruction of the city? What about your old teacher and Paninya? Are they seeing lots of customers like you and Auntie? Oh, and how about her and Den? Did Mustang and Hawkeye get together like you thought? What about-"

Suddenly, she dropped onto her knees on the ground and, before he could ask what was wrong, she embraced him in a tight hug. "Wi-Winry?" His startled voice echoed across the walls of the garden.

"D-don't…" She pleaded from his chest.

Al waited, and slowly wound his arms around her shivering form. Perhaps she was about to tell him what had been bothering her now. "Winry…-chan."

He felt the tendons and muscles under his arms tense in shock. "You… haven't called me that since we were kids…" He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it as she slowly got off of him and stood up, leaving behind a very confused alchemist on the ground. "… no, it's nothing. Sorry…"

Nodding once in understanding, he lay back on the floor, folding his arms behind his head and went back to staring at the moonlight stretched across the ceiling. She soon followed suit, and lay down next to him, linking her fingers over her chest as she followed his gaze. After she seemed to have calmed down a bit, she returned to the previous topic. "Rose and her son are well. The reconstruction of Lior was almost complete the last time I was there, and…" She smiled, as he turned to look at her. "She got married recently. She asked me to be her Maid of Honour, but I had to decline. Some things came up…" She trailed off.

"I see…" He nodded and went back to staring up at the ceiling. "I'm glad that someone was willing to take care of her… even though she already has a child. I think she needed someone to do that for her."

"Yeah…" The smile never left her face as she thought of her dear friend. "As for Paninya and Dominic, it's business as usual. Granny is well, you'd think by now she would have slowed down a bit, but not in the least. Den is okay… he sleeps a lot lately…"

He was still for a moment, but then slowly nodded again. It was to be expected of a dog his age, but still… it would be sad for him when Den would eventually pass away. He knew him when he was a child too.

She suddenly chuckled. "You would never believe it if I told you." Her tone carried a hint of amusement to it. "Riza-sama and Mustang are getting married."

The surprise was clearly evident on his face. "Really? But I thought that realistically they couldn't get together because of fraternization rules…"

"Well, that doesn't really matter now because Mustang-" She suddenly cut herself off, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Winry… are you okay?" He asked timidly. Had something happened to them?

She seemed highly contemplative for a minute before she shook her head a little and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm fine, Al. don't worry about it. There are a lot of things going on in the office right now, that's all…"

He nodded. "I see…" A bit of an awkward silence passed between them, one of the few they had ever had. Al, however, was more focused on her features and the way she would zone out from time to time. She looked so exhausted lately, and held an almost defeated expression. He scrunched up his eyebrows as he watched her mindlessly fiddling with the buttons on her white blouse. This wasn't like her at all… "So… how is it living with the Hughes?" He asked. The tension between them was making him uneasy.

"Great…" She stated absently. "Elysia is doing well in school. She really enjoys art class, but she hates math. Gracia has been busy with work lately, so she asked me to take her to school on my way to the base. Then afterwards, I take her out for lunch and then we do some shopping. It's a lot of fun." He was happy to see her smile a little at the myriad topics.

"And… how about Wrath? Is he still with you?" He frowned a little at his own curiosity.

She sighed. "Al, he's just a lonely kid. Give him a break, and yes he is." She finally looked up at him. "Though it's kind of awkward to keep him hidden all of the time. Considering he spends most of his time following me around. When someone comes by, I literally have to stuff him into the nearest compartment I can find." She giggled as an image popped into her head of him being jammed inside a tight closet. "Then he'll disappear for awhile. He really is a wild card…"

There wasn't much he could say. He knew the half pint homunculus had been evil from what Winry had told him, and what he had tried to do to him and his brother back on Yock Island. Other than that, he had no point of reference.

Another uncomfortable pause settled over them once more as they continued to lie in the middle of the moonlit flowers for a few hours. Without warning, Winry suddenly gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Al."

Before he knew what had just happened, she had already closed her eyes and was fast asleep next to him. He held his hand against his cheek for a moment as a faint blush coloured his cheeks. He then smiled and carefully covered her with a blanket, watching her sleeping face. The faint moonlight illuminated her figure, and he had truly thought right there that she couldn't be anything less than a nymph.

He backed away from her, not wanting to ruin her peaceful slumber.

"Goodnight, Winry."

He wasn't a fool, he knew that she had unwillingly gotten pulled into an internal battle with herself. However, Al had no real way of knowing what Winry was going through now. She was fighting a battle; to run to reality or to run into imagery, and it was slowly destroying her from within.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

_The rip was now impossibly wide._

* * *

There was another period when Winry didn't come to visit him, and he was beginning to get worried. 

A flicker of light caught his peripheral vision and his head shot up, eyes staring straight ahead. "Ah…"

He saw a faint light, a sight that he hadn't seen for some time. Someone was coming through the corridors, and it could only be one person.

"Hi, Winry!" He greeted cheerfully, waving his hand at her. "It's been awhile. Are things busy in the office?"

She nodded, sitting down in her usual position across from him. "Yeah, Riza-sama has been bringing me to the meetings these days as her assistant." She scrunched up her nose. "I don't like it though. It's a lot more work… not much more money." She added in amusement.

"Oh, yeah?" He was surprised, to say the least. Although from what she had told him, she seemed to get along with the trigger-happy woman very well. Also, with them both being very headstrong… not to mention a bit on the violent side, it seemed only natural. "Hmm, has something big come up?" He wondered out loud.

"… yeah, sort of." She stated dismissively as she stared at the pale flowers blossoming in the darkness.

His eyebrows scrunched up in concern, noticing how unusually pale she was. She always did have milky, white skin tones, but now her features seemed to be almost whitewashed, and her eyelids were very heavy. "Winry… you don't look well…" Though it was a bit of an understatement.

She coughed once before she giggled at his concern. "Oh really? You haven't seen the sun in years now. I'll bet you look much worse for wear."

Al's concerned gaze never faltered. "No, but really, Winry. Be careful, okay? You may not have anything to do with the battlefield, but being in close contact with the military is risky, don't be reckless-"

She scoffed and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Oh, come on, Al. I'm no longer the helpless little girl you once knew. I'll bet I can kick your ass a thousands times over."

Al took a step back for safety's sake. He was a little leery to the fact that she might carry out her threat. "S-sorry…"

She turned her head away stubbornly and gave an incredulous "Hmph," before she returned her focus on the surrounding flowerbeds.

This was strange. He frowned and followed her gaze over to the plants. "Hey, Winry? Why are you looking at the flowers like that?" He asked as he approached her, once he was sure that she wasn't out to kill him anymore. "It's not like they've changed since the last time you visited…"

Winry turned away and looked him in the eye. He felt his stomach flutter at the look in her eyes, the way they were as blue as the very depths of the sea. Then she did the most unexpected thing he ever thought she could do. She kissed him on the lips. It was just a light peck, but Al felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him on the spot. His fingertips immediately went for his lips, touching them as if to confirm she had really just done it.

Looking at his reaction, Winry giggled.

"Al, I really do love you."

His eyes went impossibly wide.

Before he even realized it, she had slipped out of his sight and he felt her arms slide around his middle as she slowly embraced him from behind, leaning her head on his right shoulder. She said nothing more and neither did he as he cupped his hands over hers. They shared each other's comforting warmth for a moment longer before she let go, but he lightly grasped her hand before she completely pulled herself away.

"Are… you going to leave?" There was desperation within his almond orbs.

"Yeah, it's real busy." She placed her other hand on the one holding hers, cupping it. She just noticed that he never wore his white gloves to cover his flesh anymore.

He sighed. "Alright, take good care of yourself, okay Winry?" His grip never ceased.

"Yeah… you too Al." She finally pulled her hands away from his and stood up.

She picked up her lantern and turned away to leave. She was meters away from the corridor before she stopped. "Al?" She said with her back still turned.

"Yeah, Winry?" His gaze never left her form, not once.

She turned to him and his heart jumped into a panic at the sight of unshed tears in her eyes. "… I've always felt… that I belonged here. No matter what happens, I'll be back, okay?" Her voice cracked a little.

He didn't quite understand what she meant, but he nodded at her words, trusting in her judgement. "Okay… I'll be waiting."

"Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight, Winry…-chan."

He never knew then that it was last time he would ever see her again.

_The rip was complete. It had now completely torn apart the two worlds, it had always been two parts._

* * *

Evil cliffy, but things will add up, don't worry. 

The final part will be up for you guys tomorrow!

_**Please Review!**_


	3. Part 3: The Truth

**Part 3: The Truth**

A long time had passed. He had guessed it had been over a year by now. He had pretty much lost all hope of seeing that light ever again, then was surprised when a sudden brightness came from the sealed corridors.

"… Winry?"

The figure holding the lantern did not speak, but continued in a quiet stride until they stood a few inches away from him.

Illuminated by the light, was an old woman Al had never seen before.

"Al-nii-san… it's been a long time…" The withered face stared meekly at him.

He blinked a few times, unnerved by the woman's charismatic expression. "… w-who are you?" He shifted uncomfortably. What was that feeling in his stomach?

She opened her eyes and gently smiled down to where he was sitting on the ground. "You don't remember me?" She asked sadly. Her celadon eyes shimmered slightly and Al felt the need to swallow hard. "You really should, you know…" She chuckled playfully. "After all, if it wasn't for you and Ed-nii being there for my mother, my birth might have been riddled with complications… it's me, Al… Elysia Hughes."

His eyes widened beyond capacity. "W-what?! ELYSIA?!" To say that Al was baffled would be an understatement. He was so surprised he dropped the fruit he had been planning to eat.

"No…" He slid back an inch and ended up knocking over his water bottle, spilling its contents over the concrete flooring. "It can't be… how can it?" He backed away a few more inches. Away from what had to be a cruel joke, away from the old woman who now had her hand worriedly outstretched towards him, and away from the lantern which seemed to have shed a different type of light on his world. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" His voice echoed through the cold space.

She looked at him sympathetically and dropped her hand back down to her side. "I don't know how to tell you this, but…" She let out a sigh and returned her gaze to him, the serious expression in her eyes as well as years of wisdom within her pale eyes seemed to burn a fire inside of him.

"Al-nii, it's been ninety years since you've been imprisoned…"

* * *

Not even the Guardian of Truth could have determined how long Al sat there, mouth agape, staring up at the old woman who called herself Elysia and claimed to be ninety-six years old. Although his mind brutally protested, he listened to what else she had to tell him. 

With her next sentence, her eyes saddened so much he was forced to look away, unbeknownst of what her next words would do to him.

"Win-nee… she… passed away thirty years ago…"

Never before had his head hurt more in his entire life. He never spoke, and the only thing that saw the moment his very person broke was the cement of which had been his sanctity. It had to be a nightmare… it had to. The ground said that it was all an illusion, with the way the image blurred and melted under his gaze.

"That's not all though…" She spoke up once more.

"It can't be…" He finally lifted his head, and she was forced to take a step back at the image of the broken boy- no, man, before her. "It just can't… ninety years?… it's impossible… it still hasn't quite been ten years… right?" Al was desperately racking though his memories. She had to be joking…

When was it?

When had it started spiralling out of control?

It has only been a year since she last came to see him… right?

_Right_?

Unconsciously, Al found himself checking his own body with his hands. He traced his face, combed through his messy hair, and checked every single part of his body, all the while he was longing for a mirror. Indeed, ever since he was imprisoned since he was thirteen years old, he had changed. He was no longer that little slip of a child, he was a man now. He had lost every ounce of baby fat, and he could feel his cheek bones giving off the curve of his face. Other than that, not one part of him showed that he had aged significantly.

Then his mind finally started working properly and a thought crossed his mind. "Everyone else…"

A vague statement of thought, but she was able to pick it up. "Everyone is gone… everyone else you probably knew well." She replied solemnly. "Uncle Roy- well, Fuhrer Mustang, Aunt Riza, and everyone who worked with them and my late father…" She trailed off, but realistically, he could've finished it off for her.

His mind feverously rushed for an answer to what had caused all of this, but it came up blank. How could this have happened? It didn't make any sense. Winry, Rose, Auntie Pinako and Den, all of the military personnel who had helped him and his brother along their journey- wait!

What was that?

His eyes widened. A journey? What journey?! In the next moment, he felt as if someone had split his mind, an array of images projected themselves through his head. He remembered being cold; cold and empty without any senses. Then whenever he looked down he would see someone, clad in the shade of the night, grinning cockily up at him.

Why did he seem so familiar? Why did he look so much like the small boy who was his one and only big brother…?

_"And this is him when he turned sixteen…"_

_Her blue eyes closed after she looked at the picture for a moment before flipping it around to show him._

_Carefully, Al took it from her hands and examined the teenage boy in the photo. "Nii-san… in some ways, he hasn't really changed that much…" He chuckled lightly._

_Winry smiled in return. "No, I guess not." Then she sighed._

_He looked up, giving her a weak smile. "Don't worry, Winry." He beamed. "They can't keep me down here forever, right? And when I get out, I'll bring him back home."_

_He had expected her face to light up or wish for his brother's well-being, but she did neither. Instead, she just stared solemnly at him, not in his general direction, but straight at him…_

_Yes… yes, they can…_

His eyes opened slowly as the final traces of the memory subsided, he looked up at the old woman, his eyes now more of a dull silver. Then what about… what about his…

Brother…

The old woman in front of him shifted uneasily. "Winry-chan had asked for one more favour of Uncle Roy while he still had some influence. The entrance to this place was sealed seventy years ago with a steel barricade, making it look like a dead end. It was also the day when Fuhrer Mustang retired. I was then instructed by Winry-chan to come here when the time was right."

A steel barricade? Mustang retiring? Right time? Gods, what has been happening while he had been in here? His whole life had seemed like one long state of hibernation.

This was too much.

Too much.

"_What happened_?" He rasped, leaning forward, hands firmly planted on the ground in desperation.

She looked at him for a moment, sympathy shimmering in her aged, celadon eyes. She finally sighed and knelt down to his level. "I can't really say, Al-nii, I was still very young when it all started… so long ago…" Her eyes held a distant glaze to them. "I don't want you to see it, Al… it would kill you. The world you once knew is no more… all I remember is sand, white smoke and blood…"

He stared up at her, mouth agape. Slowly, he closed his mouth and swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding at her to continue.

"Winry-chan…" The same sadness welled up in her eyes. "When she got older, she succumbed to countless anxiety attacks… the doctor said that it might have been caused by trauma and… trauma causes pain. She had a nervous breakdown when she was thirty years old…"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the chase. "I don't know what caused it…" She stated. "And she never showed it around you, Al-nii. When it came to you, it was like she forgot everything else and completely focused on any happiness and light she could shed on you…" Her jaw tightened as she gripped onto the fabric of her long shirt. "All I know is that when she would sleep, she would cry and mutter, _I'm sorry, Ed_…"

Al dipped his head down. She always seemed fine to him, as fine as to be expected. Why did she always have to be so unselfish? She could always talk to him… _always_!

"You should see how fast the world moves now, Al-nii. It's difficult to keep up…" She stated solemnly. "The world you once knew is no more… everyone is up to date with technology…"

The elderly woman cautiously approached him and took out a small notebook from her robes and handed it to him. "This is Winry-chan's diary. From the day you were imprisoned until the day she passed away when she was seventy years old. Her memories of that fifty-two years are all written in here. In her will, there were instructions for _the last survivor of the person Al knew before he was confined to be the one to give this to him_."

He stared at the notebook.

He stared and continued to stare. His eyes were no longer morbid, but a bit blank in nature.

The old woman turned around. "I have to go now. Hopefully, I can come again… see you later, Al… Nii-san." With that, the woman disappeared within the confines of the sealed corridors, never to be seen again.

Never had Al been more frightened of the outside world than today.

* * *

His hands were shaking as he stared at the notebook he clenched tightly in his hands for the longest time. 

He didn't want to look. But, he HAD to look. But if he looked, he would know the **truth** to everything. If he did… if he didn't… if… if…?

If _what_?

There was no other answer.

Swallowing one last time, he turned to the first page.

* * *

_Transitional year. September 5th. _

_18 years old. _

_Today, Al will be imprisoned despite him only being guilty by association. The least Mustang could do was change the location of his imprisonment to the underground tunnels below Central HQ, instead of being banished outside of the state altogether. He ordered the construction of an underground dungeon, the place where Al will be forced to spend the rest of his life. Before he was imprisoned, he was given one wish; to select just one visitor who would be given permission to see him. He had chosen me. At first I was startled, but I knew how important that request was for him, so I accepted. _

_I gave him a few books for him to read, and he seemed to take interest in the one Granny gave to me: about gardening. _

_I have decided that in my Diary, I will write my daily visits to Al's cell._

* * *

He ran the tips of his fingers over the crisp surface of the page, before tracing a few handwritten letters. 

Gripping lightly onto the first entry of the small book, he flipped the page.

* * *

_Reign of the Amendment Party, first year. October 5th. _

_19 years old. _

_It's been a month already. _

_There are still some people who ask me what had happened to Al, even though his records and his existence had been wiped out according to the official records. He seems to be accommodating to his new life in the dungeons and now he's growing plants. He seems to be using some sort of alchemical reactions to grow them. _

_It's all gibberish to me._

_That reminds me, Riza-sama told me that Mustang returned from the North a few days ago. I never knew that he had given up the title as Brigadier General in exchange for a simple officer…_

_That boy who caused both of them so much trouble… Wrath was it? When I took Al's flowers and mine to their Sensei's grave, I found him there. He seemed so lost, and when he looked up into my eyes, I knew that he recognized me, but I didn't see the little psycho who brutally attacked Ed and Al back on Yock Island… and I caved. That will be my downfall one day. Shortly after I fixed him up, he left again. He is quite the little wanderer._

_The Executive Council has been constantly harassing and pressuring me, as well as Riza-sama and Mustang, trying to not let me go down to the dungeons to visit Al. They say that associating with a 'fugitive' will bring bad karma. Pfft… whenever I'm there, though, I forget all of the bothersome things and just relax carelessly. I will not leave him down there all alone. I will go visit him everyday._

* * *

A small smile tugged on the corner of his mouth. 

He skipped a few entries and turned a few more pages.

* * *

_Reign of the Amendment Party, second year. June 17th. _

_19 years old._

_I feel kind of sorry for Al, whenever he has to put up with my rants about the Executive Council. I will never forgive them for stuffing him into such a miserable predicament. Bunch of idiots. I hate to admit it, but relieving my stress on him is actually pretty helpful. _

_In fact, Al has been pretty helpful as well. He always encourages me when I tell him about my new projects, and that I had also taken up an interest in the medical sciences. I think he understood why, but didn't say anything. One day, I'll thank him for that. He even sometimes gives me life advice. He always was the expert on those kinds of things. The garden Al is growing is coming along nicely. He is full of surprises._

_I decided to tell him today that Wrath came back, that I took him in, and that I brought him to Central with me. When he first came back to Resembool, he was different. He actually smiled, a real genuine smile. I didn't think that homunculi were capable of that when I once overheard Ed refer to them as 'heartless bastards.' He actually went out of his way to converse, maybe he needed someone to talk to? He even went on to tell me a bit about the other homunculi; something I'm sure Ed would brutally protest to. He said that everyone else was gone except for him and two others who 'disappeared.' I'm guessing he means MIA. _

_There was one thing that bothered me about the garden though. I asked if it was too early for the flowers to blossom and he thought it was Spring. He seems to be misunderstanding time. I've talked with him a little bit more, and he seems to be off in a few places. He thinks he has only been imprisoned for half a year. Then he went on to ask me if Rose's son could form complete sentences. Of course he can, in fact, he'll be starting his first year of school in a few days. I now realize that his sense of time has been skewered. I had thought of telling him the correct time, but somehow, I couldn't. _

_I am worried about him._

* * *

"I remember…" He muttered to himself. 

His shaking hands turned another page.

* * *

_Reign of the Amendment Party, tenth year. February 20th. _

_28 years old. Year 10 of Imprisonment. _

_It was the day my suspicions turned into confirmation. _

_It has been 10 years now, and Al's changed quite a bit, and become quite the adult. I thought it was amazing for such growth to take place in an environment where normal humans would already have gone insane from pure isolation. For years I have been suspicious about something concerning Al, and today I decided to check it out. _

_I have been visiting the dungeon for years now, but I had always thought it was strange that the flowers were constantly in full-bloom, even out of season. I had thought that this was one of the reasons his sense of time is askew. I lied to Al saying that I was performing a medical check-up on him and collected some data. What I wanted to know was about Al's growth and his process of aging. _

_I had asked Mustang about it, but he brushed the thought aside. He actually told me a bit about their Father, Hohenheim, and how he had pulled some illegal action to gain immortality. _

_I don't think I had ever been so shocked._

_So, for the longest time at first thinking that it had to do with his natural hereditary genes, I did the same, but something rang false to me. Even I know that the basic principle of alchemy is Equivalent Exchange. So how was their Dad able to give up enough to gain true immortality? I thought perhaps it was just something I couldn't understand, not being an Alchemist and all. Still… no matter which way I turn it I can't swallow it, and now I can't ignore it anymore._

_I checked it over with Riza-sama as we studied his cells taken from his hair, and we reached a conclusion. Al's growth was indeed slower than that of a normal human being. According to these calculations, he would not age even a year when I had already died from natural causes. It didn't make any sense._

_A footnote: Al thinks only a year has passed since he has been imprisoned. _

_I'm starting to understand the laws of alchemy now. Al's flowers seemed to hold so much more life than even a baby, and I asked him if I could have a few. Of course, he more than willingly obliged. Then I asked Mustang for a favour. I wanted him to perform a transmutation, using the properties of the flowers to keep my youthful form in exchange for me staying quiet about the discovery. He didn't think it was a good idea because there were a lot of risks involved. Then finally after awhile, he agreed. I decided I would use that tactic permanently. I did not want Al to see me age._

* * *

He remembered that day too. Winry had been checking him all over, saying it was a medical check-up. 

He never realized. Already, at that time, ten years had passed…

He flipped the page and the first thing inscribed on the top made his mouth fall agape in surprise.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, first year. April 2nd._

_30 years old. Year 12 of Imprisonment._

_It was over._

_After all these years, the people finally got what they wanted. The dictatorship which has ruled over the State since even before my time has finally ended, and now the State has adopted the democratic system. The voting was close actually; those who believe that the military are only out to stick their noses in where they don't belong and to hurt innocent people voted for the Amendment Party, no matter how bad of a job they were doing. Then there are people who believe that the military gives them strength and not so susceptible to other nations. It makes them feel protected… or war hungry. Sometimes I'm not so sure. In the end though, the military was successful and regained control over the State. _

_And… Mustang-san finally achieved his goal; he's the Fuhrer of the State of Amestris now._

_It seems strange, but… I'm glad. After learning of his motives, I couldn't hate him so much anymore. I guess there are advantages of getting older._

_I went down to visit Al. Out of the blue, he decides to ask about the check-up I had performed on him 5 years ago. It seems his sense of time was getting slower and slower. Around this time, I decided to share meals with him. He is the only one I have left from my simpler life. I haven't been able to tell him that both Grandma and Den have passed away due to natural causes. Also, I have decided to stop giving Al correct information regarding the outside world._

_The garden; Al's garden. It really is a purifying thing. Whenever I'm there, it feels like time slows down to a crawl. Surrounded by the enciphering flowers that never wither, I thought I was in the garden of the heavens for a few moments. That reminds me, Wrath once asked me where I go for such long periods of time, and I told him what had happened and about the garden. His physical appearance doesn't change, as expected, but his mind actually seems to be maturing. He once simply stated that it sounded more like a garden closest to hell. Those words coming from him threw me off, but the irony is beautiful._

* * *

"Winry… those words…" 

**_"Every time… I come here… it… it reminds me of back then…" _**

A sense of nostalgia; his memories of his childhood before everything went to hell flooded back to him.

He flipped the page only once this time; to the next entry.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, first year. April 10th._

_30 years old. Year 12 of Imprisonment._

_Lior… it was under attack recently. I was worried about Rose, so I decided to check on her. The military departed there as well because there were reports from the citizens about strange mechanical creatures appearing from nowhere. I didn't go alone though, Scieszka insisted upon coming along, but I told Wrath to stay behind. Not that he'd listen._

_When we got there, the military was already present. They were defending the town from some kind of mechanical creatures I had never once seen. Apparently, they were from another world, and something had torn the gate open from someplace else._

_That's also when I saw… him._

_Edward… he was back. After 14 years, he had finally returned, and I didn't even know what to say._

_Physically, he had changed a lot. He was no longer the boy I had once known. His features were more defined, he started budding some facial hair, and he seemed to carry with him some sort of charismatic aura with him. One that spoke of the kind of trials he had faced at… wherever he had been all this time. Heh… he'd probably blow a fuse if I told him how much he looked like his father._

_I never got the chance to ask him where he had been, what surprised me is that he came to me, but before he was able to say anything, Mustang-san came up to us. Edward was needed in order to push back those creatures before they flooded the entire city._

_I didn't say anything as I watched him follow the rest of the soldiers, now of course, I wish I had. He paused momentarily to look back at me, and I realized that despite the change of his appearance, I still knew him. He smiled at me briefly before turning back and continued up the path and eventually out of my sight._

_If only I had known then…_

_After what seemed like hours, I couldn't keep still anymore and, despite Scieszka's best efforts, I pulled away and went after them. No sooner had I gone up the path to where I saw him last, when a blast sounded, before all went deathly silent._

_My worst fears were justified when I continued up the path and rounded the corner._

_All I remember is the clearing looming in front of me, cluttered with the ruins of buildings and metal, the world coming into dizzying focus in a whirl of colours, and the smell of death, and…_

_Blood. Oh, god, there was so much blood I thought I was going to throw up. The disembodied pieces of soldiers and blue cloth littered the area, as well as scraps of metal from those robotic creatures. Then, I turned by head to the right, and the image which greeted me didn't connect. Instead, it seemed to piece itself together and when the cloudiness disappeared from my vision, I froze._

_It must have been caused from the blast… he lay there on the ground, a shard of glass sticking out of his stomach, impaling him. He was covered from head to toe in blood… his own blood. I don't remember how I got to him very well. I remember screaming his name until my voice cracked and I couldn't anymore, and fell down by his side. _

_He wasn't dead._

_By the shallow rises of his chest and the slight twitching of his fingers, I knew he wasn't… but, I had wished he was. I remember him tilting his head looking up at me, a small smile creasing his mouth. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words, a rush of blood came flooding out. He coughed and I knew he wouldn't be able to withstand it much longer. So I gently lifted him slightly, placing his head on my lap, determined not to let him do this alone. _

_He coughed once again and tried to speak, but I told him not to, it was okay. Of course, he didn't listen. He told me that the creatures that attacked today were sent by a higher force from another world, where he had been. The leader before, a woman apparently, had tried to break through once 12 years ago, but they couldn't open the gate from this side. I didn't really understand, but I tried to memorize everything he told me. After all these years, they'd finally figured out a way to break through the gate, using the strength from something called 'the serpent,' and were now trying to push their way through in order to take over and use the military's power from this world. He was warning me, I realized, and I knew somehow that it would prove to be useful later._

_His voice died out, and all I could do was watch him helplessly as he struggled to hold onto a life that had already been taken from him. He then asked me how I'd been doing, which made me feel elated on the inside. Then he asked me how Al was…_

_What could I have said? I just couldn't bring myself to tell him what's happened to his little brother… not while he was like this. So I lied. I told him he was as well as to be expected._

_He smiled one last time, but for some reason, the look in his eyes betrayed him. He then asked me if there seemed to be anything wrong with Al… and I felt sick. I felt sick because I lied to him again, saying that he seemed fine, but Ed still seemed uneasy._

_His breathing was shallow, and his pupils were unfocused. I knew that he was in so much pain, and the tears wouldn't stop flowing from me. I wanted to make it stop; to take all of his pain away. Then my eyes drifted to the piece of glass embedded inside of him. Slowly, I gripped onto the jagged surface, piercing my own skin, and I… I… _

(The next few paragraphs were unreadable; the stains from some sort of water smudged the ink writing)

_For the longest time, I just stared at his still form. He had told me that Al and I should live happily and to take good care of ourselves. Then he faded with two final words for me; thank you._

_All I could do was cry helplessly into his chest, I knew I was covered in his blood, and my own deep wound on my hand hadn't even phased me. I felt responsible, I felt like I hadn't just extracted that shard, but his life too. I just… I just… _

(There were more smudges)

_I don't recall how long it had been until Riza-sama came. I didn't even know until I heard the startled gasps of Mustang-san's subordinates. When I looked up, she was the first person I saw. She was standing quietly with an unreadable expression on her face. I opened my mouth to speak, but I found that I could not, and that I sounded as if I had just gotten over a case of laryngitis. Before I realized what had happened, she reached out to me just as everything went black._

* * *

"I should've been there…" He heard his voice echo softly in the empty space. He gritted his teeth, fighting back the tears that had already begun to drip down his face. "If I had only been there, maybe I could've… Nii-san…" His brother had been okay, but then… 

The journal fell from his hands, landing with a soft clatter onto the cement.

He gasped and looked at the book through blurred eyes. How had this happened? He wasn't supposed to die like that, he was supposed to come back to them one day so he could catch up on the life he missed. The feeling of bile rising up in his throat made him dizzy, and he swallowed as hard as he could. The room suddenly felt colder than it had ever been before, and he swore he saw his breath in the darkness.

His eyes settled on the pages once more, they were still open to the last entry he had read. He clenched his fist. He had to be strong, he couldn't quit like that. He needed to know what had happened, and what had befallen Winry.

Winry…

His quivering hands grasped the corners of the book and placed it back into his lap. He rolled his head back, inhaling deeply though his mouth before slowly letting it out.

He looked back down and flipped the page.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, tenth year. December 15th. _

_40 years old. Year 22 of Imprisonment._

_Mustang retired as Fuhrer today. A successor hasn't been named yet surprisingly. He was a well-respected leader and never once entered a war for no reason. I now think that it was what he had been aiming for all along. I think people are waiting to see if he and Riza-sama's son will carry the mantle when he comes of age. I agreed to look after him while they went on a business trip for three months to a neighbouring country in order to sign a treaty. So it kept me away from Al._

_Al thought I had been gone for only two weeks. _

_Our senses of time have definitely drifted apart. _

_At the time, I lied to him saying that I had visited Rose, but during that conversation another disturbing revelation was brought to light. Al thinks it's only been 5-6 years since he was imprisoned. I never mentioned to him that Mustang had already retired and that the Executive Council members who had imprisoned Al in the first place were already all dead. Too bad their successors shared the same views of the old ones._

_It is mentally stressing. It's been really difficult for me to continue lying to Al. I still continue to lie to him, unable to look him in the eye. Also, it is getting rather difficult for Mustang to use the flowers to maintain my youthful appearance as I get older. It's getting more difficult to be able to work, and a red line keeps materializing on my hand from where I had grabbed that piece of glass out of…_

(The rest of the line had been quickly scribbled out)

_I also noticed that whenever I get sick, it hits me much worse than it normally should, and a common cold takes about six months to leave my system. I can tell that Wrath is worried, and he told me that I shouldn't work so hard. I can't give up though. I won't be able to rest until I know what's happened to Al._

_I was finally granted my wish._

_Riza-sama has been helping me in my quest, but there seems to be nothing wrong with Al physically or mentally. Then one day when I was absent-mindedly watching Wrath on the floor where I was working, messily drawing on a piece of paper, some things occurred to me. I know now that a homunculus is the result of a failed human transmutation. The reason for the failure is because there is no exchange for a soul… right?_

_When Al had been in a suit of armour, his soul had adapted to sustaining a foreign object in order to exist. The blood seal kept it in place, but Al was still able to move around. He had truly been classified as an immortal being, flesh or not._

_I often wondered where Al's body had been for all those years, and I heard myself wonder it out loud and I saw Wrath stiffen. He started shaking and rambling on about a gate. That's what Ed had mentioned when he came back… so Wrath must have seen it when Al's soul had finally been returned to his 10 year old body._

_So… when Ed had attached his soul after all of those years, what had been happening to his body? Being in a place like that where the creatures who dwell there live for an eternity. Perhaps… they had tampered with his body somehow… _

_He had been immortal. How could he have gone back so easilty? It was not possible, the way I see it. _

_About the plants in the garden: Al explained to me that he combines the light from the moonlight with his own alchemy as equivalent exchange to make them grow. It seems their DNA has been altered too, so much that it shares Al's properties of longevity. _

_After Mustang-san retired, I asked him to use some kind of seal, like Ed had done, on the entrance in the corridors leading to Al's garden. There was no telling who would get in now that I wasn't working at the military base full-time anymore. I won't let anybody else disturb him._

* * *

It was true. He had indeed thought that she had been gone for only two weeks. 

So that was why Winry had spent more time with him. She had been free from her duties as a personal assistant to Hawkeye-san and sorting through paperwork.

Slowly, the pieces started to fit together.

* * *

_Reign of the Amendment Party, first year. March 4th._

_50 years old. Year 32 of Imprisonment. _

_Sometimes I feel like I live in one of those countries that never have a true ruler._

_In Mustang's absence, the new leader of that group of political know-it-alls really jumped the gun, and went on their campaign. With no Fuhrer or any other leader in sight, they easily won, and the power of the state once again shifted._

_The warning that Edward gave me twenty years ago… I now understand what it meant. Those metal creatures came back, and this time, so did whoever sent them. I don't know much about what happened, all I know is that the technology that our side now possesses set against theirs…_

_In the end, they were defeated. However… I'm not sure if the cost was worth it. I've always hated war, and fighting, and this only justifies my feelings. _

_I don't want Al to see what has happened to the world he once knew. _

_He talks a lot about the friends I told him he made during he and his brother's journey nowadays. I know how hard he's trying to remember, and I really admire him for that._

_He then asked about Dominic and Paninya and if Mustang and Riza-sama had gotten married. I felt really sad then and reacted in a way I shouldn't have, because out of all of my friends, I was the only who was still yet to have a family of sorts, although I'm already too old for that. After all, I have already taken on automail apprentices of my own. My students, as well as Al, Mustang-san and Riza-sama, Rose, Elysia, and even Wrath are the only things closest to a family that I'll ever have. Then I realized it. I had been handed the opportunity before, but I never wanted to take it. I just can't move on and leave Al behind._

_After I calmed down, I also told him that Pinako was fine, but Den was slowing down. When the truth was, they had both already passed away, Rose's son was taking his oaths after his mother had, and Elysia's attending college finally after all her hard work. I'm so proud of her. As for Wrath…_

_He had been acting strange lately, and I tried to get him to talk to me. He told me that he had been having a weird twitching in his stomach lately. The poor boy still doesn't know what an emotion is. I took it as anxiety, and told him to relax, that there's nothing that can hurt him anymore. He still seems plagued by whatever he had been forced to do under his old master's control. I always had the feeling that he had been abused on more than one occasion…_

_It bothered me though, he shook his head, telling me that it wasn't completely over. Before I knew it, he had buried his face into my robes and was crying buckets… CRYING. I didn't think that homunculi were capable of that. I remember him thanking me over and over again, but I didn't understand why…_

_The next morning, he wasn't in the place I shared with him. And there were a pile of red stones on the counter. He had left… and gone after something, but for some reason, I knew that I would never see him again._

* * *

He felt guilty. 

The way she described Wrath… he seemed to have really liked her and, despite him being a homunculus, she had treated him with the same kindness she would towards any human.

At this point, he was at a loss for words.

He flipped through a few more pages.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, first year. November 21st. _

_60 years old. Year 42 of Imprisonment._

_I should be getting used to the constant shifting._

_Mustang and Riza-sama's son has taken over the military now. It was easy for voters this time. He really does have the leadership skills and intelligence of his father and mother. He learned alchemy, but he doesn't use it that much. He prefers the tactical skills like his mother._

_He doesn't know Al, yet he tried to override the sentence the old Executive Council put on him, although their hold is starting to weaken. However, I fear that it would take several more decades before some future Fuhrer can veto the Council's decisions and ultimately free Al, but definitely not during my lifetime. Perhaps the children from future generations can._

_On a related note, I'm starting to feel the full blunt of the effects from the alchemical spell performed on me 30 years ago, and have already been hospitalized a few times from collapsing. The wound from the glass could have potentially caused blood poisoning, but the doctors were able to stop it in time. Combined with my duties of looking after Elysia in Gracia's stead and the treatments I've been getting from my nurse, it has been years since I've gone to see Al. The circle can now barely maintain my youthful form and I predict I can withhold this state for only one more year and now I know why._

_The transmutation Mustang used is a form of immortality, and although Al's flowers hold that property, it cannot sustain another life force. In turn, it has had an effect on my health and has been draining my immune system. That is why I am still affected by the small infection I had from my case of blood poisoning. Equivalent Exchange really does hold a profound effect. _

_The way I appear to Al now. We are the same age, though he doesn't seem to realize it. I can't change the transmutation Mustang used on me, so he can't change the age I appear as. _

_I constantly fiddle with the red stones Wrath left behind. According to the records, the homunculi used them as sustenance. If they can sustain those bunch, couldn't they be used for other things?_

_I wanted to go to his garden. _

_So I started developing the drug I have been planning on making._

* * *

He had always assumed that age would have no effect on her and that she would always be beautiful. 

He blinked a few times in confusion, fully aware of the sinking feeling in his stomach as the final words registered. "A… drug?"

He flipped to the next page.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, ninth year. July 7th. _

_69 years old. Year 51 of Imprisonment._

_It seems the people have finally made a decision, and that the military will maintain its control over the State._

_So far I am proud of my decision to give up automail and the medical sciences completely. I would say I definitely had a good run. I had been thinking about it for awhile, and then finally made the decision 5 years ago, though I still miss it greatly. I had done this because I could no longer stand to be around my aids in my withered old appearance, and I wanted more time to myself in order to spend some time on the drug I have been developing. 13 years and almost no progress, but I think I might have finally found a solution. _

_I wasn't planning on developing a drug that permanently retained a youthful body. Even temporarily would've been just as good, but the side-effects of the experimental drug I have developed caused vomiting and not just a little. With further analysis, I found that when the stones are in close contact with high shocks of energy, and probably certain advanced kinds of alchemy, a chemical reaction will ensue, which is what caused me to regurgitate the solution I had created. I wonder if those homunculi ran into these problems…_

_I am, however, already 69 years old. I have done all I can as just one person in the world. I'm sure Al… and Ed would be proud of me. Just this once, I wanted to do things my way._

_I still need some time before I can reach my final decision. I do need to say my goodbyes, after all._

* * *

Of course he and his brother were proud, they always had been. 

He hesitantly flipped the page once more.

The next entry was her last one.

* * *

_Reign of the Blue League Military, tenth year. April 30th. _

_70 years old. Year 52 of Imprisonment._

_I turned 70 today. It wasn't really a cause for a celebration, in my mind anyway, but my students and old friends still threw a party for me nonetheless. Their sons and daughters; even their grandchildren all came and celebrated the birthday with me. It was one of the most recent happy days in my life._

_Everyone, thank you. From the bottom of my heart._

_After I saw them off, I made my way towards the Central Headquarters with the small, red pill in my pocket. It has been over twenty years since I entered the sealed corridors, and it will be the last time._

_I took the drug, and it worked beautifully, I was the same 25-year-old woman I once was._

_Al was still the same. The flowers were still a breathtaking sight. He questioned why I was staring at them so intently. I couldn't tell him because it was the last time I would ever see them again. He even saw through my unease and asked if I was feeling unwell. I told him not to worry._

_Now that my death was near, I was faced with a decision that had plagued me for over half a century: To tell him the truth, or not._

_As I looked upon the sunflowers I realized that, despite all of the hardships and the tragedies we had seen, I came to the conclusion that the world truly is a beautiful place. Then for Amestris and its neighbouring countries, Al and his garden of heaven was a forgotten entity, a beauty never to be enjoyed and never appreciated. As for Al… would he be able to live happily with the knowledge that he will be forever cursed to see his loved ones die around him while he aged ever so painfully slow?_

_In the end, I ran away. I couldn't tell him. So I was still the helpless little girl Ed and Al once knew after all. _

_I had considered just going to sleep next to him and letting the effects of the drug take over as it robbed me of my last breath. But I couldn't do that. In desperation, I had confessed my feelings; the love I felt for him. He seemed confused, and I doubt if he understood. It was so like him. Al was still the overly innocent, but very sweet blonde haired, almond-eyed kid I fell in love with sometime along the way._

_So I left the garden of heaven, with promises that I will return someday._

_As I write these last words, I realize that I do not have much time left. When I close my eyes, I know it will be the last. I changed my will to include specific instructions to give this diary to Al when the last survivor of the person he knew before he was confined to his sanctuary expects when his or her death is near._

_Again, thank you everyone. _

_And thank you, Al. _

_I will always wish for your happiness. _

_- Winry Rockbell_

_1899 - 1969_

* * *

The diary ended. Her long, fifty-two year diary ended. 

And nothing but silence came from it, except for a small chattering.

He gritted his teeth together, but the effort was in vain as he closed the journal and held it tightly against his chest. He didn't want to lose it, but he felt it coming and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt himself falling apart with every tear that dripped down his face and onto the hand covering the book.

How could this have happened?

Winry… _and_ his brother…

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

It had been the sensation from a different world, the one before the human transmutation, since tears rolled freely across Alphonse Elric's cheeks, and now he couldn't stop. It had been bottled up the whole time, from when he was in the suit of armour to the ninety years after he had gotten his body back.

He finally threw his head back and let out that wail of grief which had lay dormant for so long.

All this time… all this time…

_Winry… _

Head in his hands, his mind was full of turmoil.

_What should he do now?_

The memories of his past years since he and his brother's own attempt at forbidden alchemy came once more, smoothly settling into place as if they had never even left. The many different people and friends they had met, and the many losses they had to cope with. He remembered them all.

He had acquired it, hadn't he? What almost any human covets the most… immortality. Only… he didn't want it, he had never wanted it. He could now recall the time when Greed had wanted it from him so badly…

… … _why_?

How could anyone live like that? To be forced to watch as time slowly pushes on without you while everyone else you once knew left you behind, even if it was without meaning to. The homunculi had been given that too… now even they were all gone. What about his father and Dante? They also had their own way of achieving immortality, but they failed as well. Now they too were dead…

Only _he_ had achieved it, and he didn't even want it.

A flicker of light caught his eye and he lifted his head, eyes still flooding over.

There was a light shining in through the small window high up on the wall…

How could that be?

**_"… I've always felt… that I belonged here. No matter what happens, I'll be back, okay?"_**

Did Winry come back here?

Was it even possible?

Did she come back to the garden of heaven that could have also been called the garden closest to hell?

When Winry was here, the garden was indeed a heaven.

But now, he wasn't so sure.

Was it a peaceful paradise?

Or was it a baneful prison?

Was it merely a place that had taken one world from long ago and split it into three?

He hugged the diary close to his chest as he felt his eyes grow heavy, and a wave of fatigue wash over him. As his eyes closed, he realized he wasn't alone and that he seeing only one world.

_There was a boy with his small hands on his hips, his golden hair and matching eyes set to put the sun to shame, standing before him. His shorts and other loose clothing flapped lightly in the breeze as he grinned widely at him. He carried with him a promising glow along with a strong posture; a clear sign of what he would once achieve and the heritage he had unknowingly come from._

His mouth curved upwards.

_By his side, there was a girl with a serene smile across her sweet face. Her pale blonde hair flowing out gently around it, framing it perfectly. Her small body was moving, as if to unheard music, and her sundress followed in the same rhythm as the boy next to her. She held an intoxicating innocence about her that seemed to sweep away any doubts one might have. She was like coming home._

His hands squeezed the journal tighter.

_"Come on, slowpoke! We'll race you!"_

He felt the final tear make its descent.

_"It'll be fun! We're going up to the lake!"_

He chuckled and gazed back up at the light.

So, she had come back after all, and perhaps…

His brother had come with her.

There was nothing more to fear, so he lay down on his side and went to sleep, with a smile on his face.

**"Goodnight, Al."**

**"Goodnight… Winry-chan."**

* * *

_**So long. **_**  
**_**Goodnight. **_

**Garden of Eden**

**The End**

* * *

Damn it. 

What did I just do?

Sorry, but it even made _me _sad towards the end, and I'm supposed to be the author! Once again, I never actually thought that I would write anything for AlWin, but I just couldn't help myself when I started getting a few ideas. It will probably be the only AlWin fic I ever do, but never say never, I suppose.

On another note, sorry for the delay to the final part, but there was something strange going on with the server.

I hope this was enjoyable, and I give my sincere appreciation to all of you.

Thank you!

_**Please Review!**_


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